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| *Travel Info>>>General - United Kingdom Travel Info |
For the UK answer-ers... If I plan a vacation to the UK what are spots I should see and whats over-rated? |
Travel Info I'm thinking about trying to plan an "off the beaten track" kind of vacation and would like to spend a week or two in the UK, I wanted some input from the people that actually live there. Small towns, cute B&Bs, pretty scenery, bustling city life, great beaches, and a bit of history... where can I find a any or all of it, and have loads of fun? Travel Tips Both the other answers are excellent suggestions! Cumbria is fantastic! In the UK you are never more than about 100 miles from the coast as we have such an indented coastline. If I were you I would aim for a particular area of the UK and do things in one area. Although the UK isnt that huge it can still be a pain if you spend half your holiday on motorways! The west country (counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset) is fantastic with spectacular coastline, great villages and small towns, and one or two cities. However its not exactly off the beaten track! Its one of the most popular areas for holidays in the UK and in the summer the traffic in the area can become an absolute nightmare! If you are in London there are some good escapes into the Kent countryside, south of London. Kent is one of the oldest counties in the UK and is known as the Garden of England for its rolling hills, orchards, vineyards, hops, and spectacular variety of scenery. Steeped in history, there are plenty of places where you can visit some of the most famous landmarks. THe BBC has a fantastic tour site here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/kent/discover_kent/... Chartwell is a National Trust house that was Winston Churchills home and is well worth looking in on. In the immediate area there are the country houses and manors of Knowle House, Penshurst Place, Hever Castle (Henry VIII's castle), and the National Trust village of Chiddingstone (where I grew up actually!) Ightham Moat is a medieval moated manor house near Sevenoaks (which famously lost 6 of its ancient oak trees in the 1987 storms) Dover is only 30 miles from France and as such has been heavily fortified over the years. Dover Castle is one of the best preserved examples and dates from shortly after the Norman invasion of 1066. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/serve... Rye and the Romney Marsh is a "cute" litte medieval port set in the salt marsh levels in east Kent. http://www.visitrye.co.uk/ Ramsgate is another historic port and also has one of the top 10 UK beaches: http://www.bbc.co.uk/kent/discover_kent/... http://www.bbc.co.uk/kent/content/image_... Canterbury Cathedral has attracted pilgrims for centuries and still draws great crowds. Chatham Dockyard was one of the countries foremost Royal Dockyards where many famous ships of the line were built, including Nelson's HMS Victory, the flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 (still a commissioned Navy warship). Now closed as an active naval base it remains as a museum. http://www.chdt.org.uk/ Around the county there are also many walks and great scenery. http://homepage.ntlworld.com/wandering/k... Stop off at local village pubs such as the Wheatsheaf at Bough Beech: http://www.wheatsheafatboughbeech.co.uk/... or the Castle Inn in Chiddingstone: http://www.castleinn.co.uk/ The spa town of Royal Tunbridge Wells is a largely Georgian creation and is now a lively provincial town. The Pantiles offer a unique taste of Georgian splendour. http://www.visittunbridgewells.com/... For watersports away from the coast Bewl Water and Bough Beech are large resevoirs that offer sailing and fishing. Kent also holds the record for the highest temperature recorded in the UK, and whilst I won't make any guarantees about the English weather, its normally a good summer in Kent! Happy to answer other questions if you want! Others it's not UK you want, it's thailand! I think you'll have a slightly hard time finding "cute B&Bs" but good luck to you. www.smoothhound.co.uk lets you search B&Bs by region. Oxford is lovely and well worth a visit, to see the architecture. Windsor Castle and Eton College (where Prince Harry and William went) in Windsor, Berkshire are both quite nice. If you want to go off the beaten track, rent a car and go into Dartmoor, down in Devon; you'll see lots of lovely little villages, and Dartmoor is amazing. www.smoothhound.co.uk One of the most under-rated spots in the UK is Cumbria (especially the Lake district), I have spent many summer weekends there and have loved every minute of it; the lakes, countryside and hospitality are second to none. You can find details and images here... http://www.golakes.co.uk/default.asp?bhf... http://www.lakedistrictdesktops.com/... Another excellent place to visit is North Wales, which is steeped in history and has some of the UK's most spectacular views. You can find more details here... http://www.nwt.co.uk/ http://www.croeso.com/ I have spent large portions of my life in both of the aforementioned places, at work and at leasure, and I have found the people there to be very friendly and hospitable. I have no doubt that you will find each location matches your criteria perfectly (as the links above should prove), and that should you chose these destinations you will remember your time there with fondness, and forever want to return. Hi, ladywyrmling29 ...you have to came to the Isle of Man is a little beauty in the Irish Sea.... http://www.isleofman.com/tourism.htm... Have a nice trip....!!!! All the answers you have for the UK are great I agree with all of them you will see the real UK not what most tourists see and the country pubs are out of this world most of the country pubs cater to family's and children and most of them have beer gardens my parents had a pub(14th century) in the cotswold downs just outside of Woodstock NR Oxford so I have lived the life. I live in the USA now but still a Brit at heart. |
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